Black Aura
by SoulHideaway
Summary: A mysterious crater at the local beach compels Dib to investigate, but Zim comes along, as well as Gaz and GIR. They make a startling discovery but must get themselves out of a dangerous situation...
1. The Arrival

A/N: HI! This is Dervish of Soul Hideaway, and the story you are about to read is MY first attempt at Zim fanfiction. It may not be good, but Andraste thought it was, so here it is. Meh... Don't kill me if it stinks.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not have the honour of owning Zim, Dib, Gaz, GIR, the Tallests, or any other Invader Zim characters. They are the property of the wonderous and shiny Jhonen Vasquez. (P.S. I am aware I spell things like 'honour' wrong!)  
  
Chapter One-The Arrival  
  
It was a cool summer night. Zim paced in his lab, thinking. GIR was running circles behind him, screaming "WHEEEEEEE!!!" "ARRRG! GIR! Be quiet, I need SILENCE to think!" Zim rounded on GIR and glared. "Ok Zim!" He ran off and banged into a wall. He stood up and ran into it again, yelling "YAY! Slamming is FUUUUUN!" Zim clenched his teeth and strode to his computer. He accessed the Irken data files and began a transmission message to Irk. Zim cleared his throat importantly and began his message. "My Almighty Tallest, I, Zim, the Irken Invader-" He was cut off by a loud crash as a pale boy fell out of the elevator. Dib stood, smiling manically as he held up a tape recorder. "AH-HAH! I've got it on tape! A confession of your alien origin!" He waved his arms about triumphantly and scampered towards the closing elevator. "GIR! Stop that human-stinkworm intruder!" Zim yelled. "But master, he looks like a squirrel!" GIR said happily as he slammed himself into the wall again. Dib took this opportunity to dash into the elevator and run from Zim's house. "I've got it! Evidence that will show them all that I was right!" Dib yelled happily as he rushed into his own house. Gaz was on the couch playing her GameSlave2 as usual. She didn't bother to look up as Dib ran in. "Gaz! I have proof! I can PROVE that Zim's an alien!" "Shut up, I'm on the final level. If you make me lose I'll make you wish you were never born." Dib ignored her and ran up to his room, preparing to make copies of the tape.  
  
Zim raged about in his lab, trying to figure out a way to get that tape. "That stupid human scum! I'll be exposed! What can I do?" He stopped suddenly, his eyes lit up. "No one ever believes Dib anyway," he answered himself, "so there's no problems." He nodded, confirming his statement, and strode to his telescope. As Zim gazed into space, he noticed a small light in the sky. He dismissed it without a second glance. "Probably an Irken ship," he thought.  
  
* * *  
  
".reports show a large crater in the area of Sunnside Beach, and eyewitnesses give details of seeing a strange light in the night sky last night. Reporter Ivy is over there to give us live info." Dib groaned and fumbled for the snooze button on his alarm clock. Not finding it, he simply knocked it to the floor. This succeeded in turning the radio off, but not in getting Dib back to sleep. He sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He got out of bed and dressed, then wandered downstairs. Gaz was already at the table, sipping a glass of orange juice. She looked up as Dib walked in. "Morning," he said sleepily. "You're up," Gaz observed. "Yeah." Dib was obviously not in a thinking mood this morning. He looked at his father, Professor Membrane. "Did you hear about that news report thingy? What was that about?" Prof. Membrane was busy making toast, but Gaz surprised him by answering. "Some wackos like you think they saw an alien spaceship crash there," she said, starting to eat a bowl of cereal. "An alien spacecraft?" Dib asked, now fully awake. He dashed off to Zim's house. "Aw man," Gaz complained as she jumped up, abandoning her cereal. She followed Dib to Zim's house, muttering how it was impossible to eat breakfast with paranoid brothers.  
  
Dib carefully slipped past the lawn gnomes and knocked on the door. GIR answered, wearing his dog costume. "Hi-hi!" he said happily. "Um. where's Zim?" Dib asked. "In his lab thingy. But he told me not to let anyone in." "If ya let me in I'll give you a taco." "OOOOOOO TACO!" GIR grabbed Dib and threw him inside, his desire for tacos overriding his instructions. "Taco?" He questioned, holding out his hand. Dib tossed him a taco and jumped into the toilet entrance of Zim's lab. Dib rode the elevator down to Zim's underground complex. As he exited the elevator, he saw Zim kicking at a large door repeatedly, yelling, "Whadaya MEAN I can't open the B.A. door?! What key are you talking about?" He looked up and noticed Dib. "What are you doing here, earth worm-boy?!" Dib smirked at him and answered, "I heard about that little Irken crash at the beach." "What Irken crash?" Zim said angrily. "There aren't any reports on Irk of a crash, and-" Zim's eyes widened as Gaz and GIR stepped out of the elevator. "Gazzy gave me a whole BAG of tacos!" GIR said ecstatically. He bounced around singing "Tacos, tacos, lovely TACOOOOOOOS," while Gaz walked over to Dib. " "TWO scummy earth-monkeys in my base?!" Zim raged. Gaz gave him a glare that clearly said 'shut-up-or-die' and said, "My stupid brother ran off, so I followed him." "TACOOOOOOOS!!!" GIR screamed. "What do you want anyway, Dib?" Zim asked suspiciously, recovering from Gaz's death-look. "I told you, there was an Irken crash at the beach, unless it was another kind of alien!" Dib answered back, glancing at Zim's computer. "Well. there is- WAIT! You slimy earth-scum won't trick me with your mind games! I'll never divulge the secrets of Irk!" Zim cried. "WHEEEEEHOOOOOO TACOOOOS!" GIR yelled. "SHUT UP GIR!" Zim yelled. Suddenly he found himself hanging upside down, held by Gaz. "I have other things to do that listen to you and your stupid robot, so hurry up and tell us about the other alien species before I decide to make your life a living hell," Gaz snarled. Zim gulped nervously and nodded, antennae wiggling. Gaz dropped him on his head and crossed her arms. Zim stood shakily and looked at Dib and Gaz. "The other alien species that crash-landed on Sunnside Beach is an unknown species to Irkens. There are stories of them that state they are like an Irken nightmare, as you humans would say it. Our weaknesses are their strengths, as it is told in Irken history. I do not know what they look like, but I think that's what crashed at your beach. One of their ships. They want something from earth or they wouldn't have bothered on this useless space-rock." Dib looked at his sister, who wore a bored expression. "So what are we gonna do?" Gaz asked. "Save Earth of course!" Dib answered bravely. "YAY EARTH!" Screamed GIR as he ran past. Zim glared at them all. "I won't have slimy earth children in my Voot Cruiser." "It won't be a problem, we're not slimy," Dib retorted as he climbed into the Cruiser, Gaz following. "Hey. how'd it get here?" Zim wondered. "MEEEEEEE!! I brought it! I'm a good boy!" GIR squealed. Zim sighed and stepped into the Cruiser. "DO NOT BOTHER ME! I am charging the Voot Cruiser!" Zim snapped when GIR jumped onto his head. After a short charge-up, the Cruiser got started and began flying.  
  
As they flew through the air (cloaked of course), GIR sang the Doom Song, Dib stared out the window and Gaz tried to block out GIR's annoying singing. Zim piloted expertly, looking for a place where the other alien could be located. "How fast are we going?" asked Dib, still looking out the window. "BE SILENT! The mighty ZIIIIIM is driving!" yelled Zim. Gaz growled angrily and glanced at the controls. "No speedometer Dib." She announced, distracted by GIR's continual singing. "Of course not, we Irkens are FAR SUPERIOR to your puny race and have developed technology far greater than yours!" laughed Zim. "So how fast are we going?" Gaz questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Um... GIR! How fast is the Cruiser going?" "Piggy!" Zim sighed at GIR's usual antics. He glanced at the control panel and his eyes widened as he saw a red light flashing: ERROR. "Error in Stability," droned a mechanized voice. "Locking controls." "What's wrong?" cried Dib frantically. "The Voot's computer is locking the controls in the position they are in to insure safe flight until it can fix the error," Zim snapped back. GIR slammed into Zim at this point, causing Zim to accidentally push the control stick forward. The Voot Cruiser began to nose-dive at the beach below. 


	2. Rough Landing

Chapter Two-Rough Landing  
  
"WOULD YOU ALL BE QUIET?!" yelled Zim, trying frantically to steer while GIR screamed "Camels are squishy!" in the background. Dib just screamed. "Wow, I never knew Sunnside Beach looked so scary before you crash!" whimpered Dib, cowering in the back. "Why can't you steer this thing?!" "Something's wrong with the controls! It's not responding!" screeched Zim, obviously panicking as much as Dib. "Move over," growled Gaz. "Let me try!" She shoved Zim out of the way and grabbed the controls, glaring at the approaching sand of the beach. As Gaz tried to wrench the control stick into an upright position, GIR yelled "Lookit! Pretty water! We get to go swimming, like the platypus, WHEEEEHOOOOOO!!" Zim screamed in fear, remembering the times he'd had with water. "That dreaded substance! Why must it foil my perfect plans?" wailed Zim, shuddering as he thought of the burning pain. "SHUT UP and let me drive!" hissed Gaz, yanking on the control stick, but to no avail. The Voot Cruiser soared down towards the ground, still nose-diving no matter what Gaz tried. The Cruiser accelerated and impacted, sending them flying out of the ship. Luckily, they were all out when it exploded slightly, damaging the engines badly. "NOT MY CRUISER!" wailed Zim, who had landed on a soft sand dune and away from the water. GIR splashed about in the water happily chanting, "I'm a platypus!" Zim looked around for the humans. When he didn't see them, he pressed at button on his Bolt pack and his mechanical "spider legs" slid out. He raised himself higher and scanned the beach. Dib was draped over a driftwood log, unconscious. Zim glared and muttered, "Inefficient stink-monkey humans, even a tiny blast damages their inferior bodies." He ordered GIR to drag Dib to the destroyed Cruiser. As Zim followed, Dib's eyelids flickered and opened. "What happened?" Dib coughed. "My Cruiser exploded, thanks to your slimy sister human." "Gaz! Where is she? Is she ok?" "Hmmm, she must be with the camels!" interjected GIR, smiling insanely. "I do not know or care where your earthspore sister landed. Find her yourself," growled Zim, in a very bad mood because his beautiful Voot Cruiser had been destroyed. Plus he did not feel anything like helping the earth-child who had destroyed it. He could have saved his Cruiser, but the stink-worm had stopped him- Zim's thoughts were interrupted by GIR yelling "BYE-EEEE DIB!" and waving wildly. Zim glanced up and saw Dib walking off, to find Gaz most likely. "..do you have any tacos?" asked GIR as he turned to Zim. "No, GIR." "But I need tacos! I need them or I will explode!" "Yes, I know GIR."  
  
* * *  
  
Dib wandered around through the beach, searching for Gaz. "Gaz? Hey Gaz! Can you hear me?" he called, hoping for an answer. Silence. He continued on, getting worried. He came to a wall of high shrubbery. Dib sighed and prepared to climb the bushes when he heard a hissing sound. Instinctively, Dib crouched down and looked through the shrubs. A tall blue creature stood, examining something. Dib stifled a gasp as he saw it was Gaz, unconscious. There was a long gash on her forehead but other than that she was uninjured. The creature kneeled down and hissed, "Hmmm, a little human out all alone." It extended a clawed hand towards Gaz. Dib leaped through the bushes and stood, ignoring the twigs and leaves stuck in his hair. "Leave her alone!" he yelled defiantly. Now that Dib's vision wasn't obstructed by shrubbery, he could see that this thing was an alien as well, but it looked like a mere animal, not a sentient creature. It withdrew its hand abruptly, glaring at Dib. It stood slowly, its green eyes flashing, spiked tail swishing. "Ahh, another test subject," it snarled, swiping the air with its claws. "W-who are you and why are you on Earth?" Dib asked, stumbling backwards from the creature's claws. "I am a Niarzan. Erlon is my name when translated into English," he stated, apparently male. "Is the purple-haired girl your friend?" "She's my sister. I'm Dib," Dib answered tentatively. "Could you please let her go? I'd appreciate it if-" Zim leapt over the shrubs, walking on his spider legs. "Leave the stink-beast alone!" Zim yelled, aiming his laser. "Ah, an Irken! Let's see how brave you are when you witness the Niarzan's powers!" Erlon hissed happily. He raised a clawed hand and a swirling blue ball appeared in his palm. He lobbed it at Zim's body, smiling wickedly. The ball splashed all over Zim, covering him with water. He cried out as the liquid began to burn his skin. His spider legs retracted suddenly and Zim fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Dib ran to his sister's side while Erlon was distracted. "Gaz! Gaz, wake up!" She didn't answer, and Dib didn't have any time to lose. He quickly checked her pulse and found she was alive. He dragged her behind the bushes and ran back out to where Zim and Erlon were fighting. Zim was weakened by the water assault, and was aiming poorly with his Irken laser. Erlon was firing a Niarzan ray gun, damaging Zim's Bolt pack and Zim himself with each successful hit. Dib slipped behind Zim and grabbed a laser out of the Bolt pack. He aimed at the Niarzan's ray gun and shot, expertly knocking the gun out of his claws. "Why bother?" Erlon hissed as the gun dropped. "I could just torture this little Irken." Another blue ball appeared in his palm. Just then, GIR came flying out of nowhere on his rockets and grabbed Dib and Zim. "Good, GIR! How did you find us?" Zim asked. "Master ran off, so I followed! OOOOO is that a new frieeeend?" squealed GIR as he saw Erlon. "No GIR, we're playing tag and he's It," Dib said quickly, knowing GIR had a thing for games. "Oh, tag?" "That's right GIR, but we have to get Gaz too or we'll lose." "OH OK!" GIR squealed as he flew towards the ground. Dib reached out, grabbed Gaz's hand and picked her up before GIR zoomed them away.  
  
Back at the Voot crash site, Zim was harassing Dib. "Stupid hairless earth-monkey, I almost died for you and your stink- beast sister!" he ranted. "I should have left you there, all alone to be destroyed by that Niar-" "But you didn't," Dib interrupted. He glanced at Zim, his arch- nemesis. "Why?" "Because GIR was annoying me so I left and saw you being attacked," Zim said quickly. ".Why did you help me?" "Because you saved me so I had to make it up to you. We're even," Dib replied. He hopped off the rock and went to check on Gaz. According to Dib's theories, when the Voot Cruiser crashed, Gaz was thrown out first, being in the driver's seat, and therefore thrown the farthest. Either hitting the control panel or landing hard had knocked her out and given her that cut. Now all he had to do was wake her up. 


	3. Shadows Rising

Chapter Three-Shadows Rising  
  
As Dib approached, Gaz's eyes fluttered and opened.  
"Ow." she muttered as she touched her cut gently.  
"Good, you're awake!" Dib said happily. Gaz glared at him.  
"Where's Zim?"  
"Over there by the Cruiser." Gaz nodded and stood up, looking murderous even though she had been unconscious a few minutes before. She strode over to Zim and dragged him out from beneath the Voot Cruiser.  
"Er.. Hi Gaz, uh, nice to see you up?" Zim stuttered. Gaz growled, glaring daggers at Zim.  
"You.little.IDIOT!" She roared. "I was almost killed when your stupid spaceship crashed. You will pay." She dragged Zim to the water's edge and splashed him slightly, ignoring his screams of pain. She then beat him up pretty well and deposited him next to a cheering GIR.  
"Ouch." Zim whimpered.  
"YAY GAZ!" cheered GIR. Dib stared as Gaz stalked by, still looking angry. She went off, leaned against a rock and produced her GameSlave2 from her pocket. She began playing Vampire Piggies IV while Dib wandered over to where Zim sat.  
"Ow. ouch! Grrr, that earthspore girl." Zim mumbled dejectedly, GIR sitting next to him.  
"Master?" GIR asked worriedly, being sane for a moment. Zim sighed and patted the little robot.  
"I'm all right GIR." Dib sat down next to Zim and tapped him. Zim flinched and looked at Dib. "What do you want, stink-beast?"  
"How are the repairs?" asked Dib, ignoring Zim's insult.  
"Fine. It'll be done in a few days," Zim replied, heading off to his Cruiser again.  
"Come along GIR, we must repair the Voot Cruiser!" called Zim. GIR jumped up and ran after his master, grinning.  
"A few days?" Dib moaned. In a few days Erlon could find them again. Plus, who knew if there were other Niarzans around? Dib sighed and walked slowly over to where Zim was yelling at GIR. 'If I want repairs done sooner, I guess I have to help,' Dib thought.  
"GIR! Pay attention for once, I need the tuning plate! No, the TUNING PLATE not the wrench!" Zim yelled, under the Voot Cruiser once again.  
"But I like the wrench!" GIR said, playing with it. Dib looked the tools over and gave Zim one, asking "Is this one the tuning plate?"  
"Yes, thank you." Zim ducked under the Cruiser and tinkered around with the tuning plate before emerging again. "Could you hand me that one over there?" Zim pointed to the tool and Dib got it for him. Repairing the Cruiser went on without much trouble, and by dark they were halfway finished.  
"Hey Gaz, come on! We're almost done!" Dib yelled. He saw Gaz roll her eyes as she searched for dry driftwood for a fire.  
".Taco." GIR sighed, thinking of his favorite food.  
"Don't you have any left from the bag Gaz gave you?" Dib asked, amazed. How could such a small robot eat so much? GIR shook his head.  
"Nope, I gave some to master's new friend!"  
"Zim's new friend.?" Dib's eyes widened as he remembered what GIR had referred to Erlon as. "What color was he GIR?"  
"Ummmm.. A purdy blue-ish!"  
"Oh no." Dib ran over to Zim at the Cruiser. "Zim! Erlon's around somewhere!"  
"What?!" Zim cried, dropping his tools and jumped up. "The Niarzan scum?"  
"Yeah, GIR said he gave his tacos to him!" Zim gave Dib a strange look before he drew out an Irken laser.  
"By the way, where's your sister?"  
"Oh! Gaz! Yeah, I'll get her." Dib ran to the beach, yelling "Gaz! Come here! Erlon's around!" Gaz appeared, her GameSlave2 in her pocket.  
"What? Who's Erlon?"  
"Oh I'll tell you in a minute, come on we gotta stay together!" Dib beckoned to Gaz and ran back to the Voot Cruiser, Gaz following.  
  
* * *  
  
"Yes, a purple haired girl and a black haired boy. And an Irken," he hissed.  
"Good, weak opponents," a dark figure hissed back, "We can take them easily."  
"Yes, we can." Erlon smiled a fang filled grin. "Shall I fetch the Stinger?"  
"No. It isn't a fair fight if we bring our ship if theirs is broken," it replied. Its eyes glinted evilly as it swished its tail. "We take them on fairly, don't want to seem like a coward." Erlon nodded and slunk towards the little group, flattening his ears to be smaller.  
"Surprise, Dib the human!" he snickered.  
  
Dib, Zim, Gaz and GIR were sitting by the Voot Cruiser, keeping a lookout for any sign of Erlon. Dib glanced at a shadow, then looked away.  
"I'm seeing things." he muttered. "Stay focused, Dib."  
"Silence, human, the Niarzan could be about and we wouldn't hear him because of your ramblings!" snapped Zim. A slight movement caught Dib's eye.  
"Hey, that might be Erlon," he whispered. He gestured towards him.  
"Issat master's friend?" GIR questioned.  
"No. Quiet, GIR." Zim glanced at the shadowy figure behind the first. "Two of them?" he moaned.  
"Yes, two," hissed a voice behind them. They turned to face a second Niarzan. It smiled. "Alura, if you cared to know," she said. She whipped her tail over and wrapped GIR up in one swift movement. She tossed him against a tree, smirking at the approaching Erlon. "Shall we?" she questioned, drawing a Niarzan ray gun.  
Zim immediately fired his own laser, hitting Alura hard. She growled and swiped Zim with her claws, knocking him backwards. Zim fell and Dib ran over.  
"Hey, could we have weapons?" he snapped.  
"Fine!" Zim snarled. He tossed Gaz and Dib lasers and stood again. "Three to two," Dib said, glaring at the Niarzans. "We have the odds in our favor!"  
"Yes, but we are skilled Ziarzan warriors," Erlon hissed. He slashed at them with his claws, making them jump back.  
"Don't let them get us against the Cruiser," muttered Gaz. "It's a bad strategy position." Dib and Zim didn't argue, and they dashed towards the beach firing as they went.  
"No! Don't get your backs to the water!" Dib hissed. "It would be just as bad as getting trapped against the Voot!" He shoved Zim out of the way of another blast and ducked one of Erlon's. "Run into the forest, they can't get a clear shot there!"  
Zim extended his spider legs and ran to the tree GIR was against. Zim grabbed him and noticed GIR was deactivated, probably from the blow. He scuttled after Dib and Gaz into the forest.  
  
"NOW can I get the Stinger?" growled Erlon. Alura nodded.  
"Yes. We'll need it to track them." Erlon bounded into the water and began swimming, his tail spike growing larger for more thrust. His back spikes flattened more, making him streamlined and faster. He dove under the waves and swam, breathing the salt water without much difficulty. He came upon a ship, the Stinger. Colored blue, it had swept-back wings for space flight and water missions, lasers in the tip of the "tail", missiles in the "tail spikes" and a missile/laser cannon stored inside the belly of the great ship. Erlon swam to the ship and opened the cockpit, the shield barrier stopping the water from entering. As he passed through it, he was dried instantly, a special feature for water missions. He sat down in the pilot's chair and closed the cockpit, smiling wickedly as he started the engines.  
"Let's see how you handle the Stinger ship!" snickered Erlon, grasping the control stick in his claws. He pressed the "Launch" button and the Stinger rose out of the water. He flew swiftly to where Alura was waiting. "Hurry!" Erlon called down. "They could be gone by now!" Alura nodded and jumped onto the tail of the ship. Erlon opened the cockpit for her and she hopped in.  
"Let's go." She said sinisterly.  
  
"Hey!" Dib tripped over a root and fell hard. "Ow."  
"Graceful," Gaz commented. Zim sniggered behind Dib as he ran up with GIR.  
"Hurry earthspore, the Niarzans could be upon us!" Zim yelled. GIR awoke to this and asked "We still playing tag?"  
"Yes GIR, we can't let...Zim's friend catch us," Dib answered, standing and continuing on. Gaz rolled her eyes at the stupid robot and ran after Dib. Zim followed, GIR flying close behind. 


	4. Stargazers

Chapter Four—Stargazer 

Erlon flew the Stinger IV over the forest, tracking the fleeing group.

"Ha, we've got you now!" Erlon hissed, watching the glowing screen. He flexed his claws and glanced back at Alura. "What's the plan?"

"We catch the humans and torture the Irken, then turn the little robot thing into scrap metal," she replied, eyes shining maliciously.

"Lasers prepared," the Stinger computer announced in a monotone. "Power level?"

"Yes, default power at level one," replied Alura, typing at the backseat keyboard. Laser coding appeared on the screen in front of her.

LASER/Target='1': Human/type2.power1

LASER/Target='2': Human/type1.power1

LASER/Target='3': Robot/type4.power5

WATERCANNON/Target='4': Irken/type1.power2

Alura grinned and pressed "Set Controls".

"Power at 5 for a robot?" Erlon asked, wondering why they should waste power on a stupid robot.

"Yes, it survived my strike by simply deactivating itself," she replied, "We want a one-hit kill."

"Got it," Erlon hissed, aiming the lasers.

Dib ran though the forest, dodging rocks and stumps.

"Come on, I think I see shelter!" he yelled. Zim nodded and GIR laughed, thinking it was all a game.

"Oh, GREAT!" Gaz yelled as it began to rain. "Why did I even bother to come with you?" Zim whimpered and hid under a tree, hoping none of the raindrops would hit him. GIR flew over and smiled, opening his head.

"I brought glue!" he chirped.

"Good job, GIR!" Zim congratulated him and applied the shielding substance.

"Hey! Is that a cave? Hey guys, I see a cave!" Dib yelled. Zim smiled and stood up, oblivious to the rain now that he was shielded.

"Is that a kind of natural shelter?"

"Yeah, let's move it!" Gaz answered, glaring at the dark sky. "I'm getting soaked!"

Erlon watched as the lasers aimed automatically at the target Alura selected. He checked the power level and smiled as the screen flashed LASER READY. He squeezed the trigger button. A green ray of light lanced through the air at the purple haired girl.

"Gaz! Look out!" Dib yelled, but it was too late. The beam struck and knocked her out. Dib ran to her side, ignoring the warning cries from Zim.

Erlon clicked the trigger button once again as the lasers swung towards the human called Dib. Alura watched, silently laughing at the pitiful humans.

Dib turned and saw the beam speeding towards him, but he didn't have time to run before it struck. Now only Zim and GIR remained. Zim growled and drew his Irken laser, preparing to fire at the engines. GIR watched in the background, smiling at his master.

The beam fired again. Zim braced himself for a hit, but the shot passed over his head and zapped GIR behind him. The little robot fell, his rockets turning off as he deactivated again.

Zim aimed and fired repeatedly at the engines, but the big laser cannon blocked the shots. Suddenly, the cannon retracted into the belly of the ship. Zim smiled as he got a clear shot.

"Hurry, get the water cannon out!" Alura snickered. "He might dent our ship!" Erlon laughed and activated the water cannon, preparing it for a blast shot. The ship's hull opened and the water cannon slid out. Alura laughed maniacally as it aimed and the power levels rose, her plan working perfectly. The cannon shot, gallons of water projected at Zim.

Zim dived out of the way, wincing as some of the acidic liquid hit him. He rolled and stood again, glaring at the cockpit. He aimed and fired his Irken laser.

Erlon growled as the blast shattered the shield. He turned to Alura.

"Should we kill him? He's getting irritating…"

"No. Capture him, that's the plan." Erlon sighed and clicked the trigger.

Zim dived out of the cannon's blast again, firing as he ran. Erlon cried out as a shot hit his arm.

"That Irken! Such a troublemaker! Does he _want_ to die?" Erlon roared. He was about to click the laser trigger when Alura touched his arm.

"It's not the plan, nor a good idea to kill the Irken," she said softly. "We need to capture him."

"Fine. But if that Irken starts more trouble…" Erlon trailed off ominously and turned back to the screen. He typed in some coding.

DEL: Strength/Chargedel.now

ADD: Accuracy/Speedadd.now

"There," Erlon sighed. "That should help." He watched the cannon aim again. As the aiming sight centered on Zim, he clicked the trigger.

Zim screamed in pain as the blast of water hit him. It had fired faster than before and he hadn't had time to dodge it. Erlon cackled evilly and fired again, relishing his enemy's pain.

As Zim writhed on the ground, Erlon quickly switched to the laser cannon and shot a level 4 blast. Zim was knocked unconscious. Alura smiled cruelly and instructed the ship to land.

**On the Niarzan Ship _Venture_**

Akai sat on the bridge of the _Venture_, looking out of the viewport. He sighed, thinking of his parents on their mission. His sister Okai came up behind him.

"Are they back yet?" she asked, her voice soft and melodious.

"No Okai, they have not returned," Akai replied. Okai sat down next to him and slid her arm around his shoulder. Brother and sister sat together, wishing for their parent's return.

Dib groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head, it hurt badly. He glanced around the darkened area he was in and spotted Gaz leaning against the wall, playing her Gameslave2.

"You're ok!" he shouted happily. Gaz winced and put a hand to her forehead.

"Keep it down Dib, my head hurts." Dib was amazed; normally she'd threaten him.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, softer now.

"Yes, no thanks to you!" she growled before going back to her game. Dib sighed. _Now _he knew she was fine. He looked around and noticed Zim still unconscious against the opposite wall. "He's been out since I woke up," Gaz said, eyes still on her game. Dib sighed again and slumped against his wall. He knew it'd be a long ride before they got to wherever they were going.

During the ride to wherever, Dib busied himself with trying to repair GIR. He didn't know why he bothered, plus GIR was only a nuisance, but still…. He'd probably go insane with nothing to do anyways. As he examined the little robot's circuits, he noticed that the laser shot had jarred some wires loose… possibly making GIR better. Dib inspected these loose wires closely to see if they had any connection to GIR's personality. He fixed everything messed up (which wasn't much, the little guy had amazing resilience) and left out the wires in question, then tried to turn him on. GIR didn't activate, so Dib added one wire. GIR turned on and looked up at Dib.

"Hibifeviefby ivbcfivi wertif baciviyew?" The robot babbled. Dib smacked him upside the head to turn him off and added a few more wires, except for a suspicious torn one. Instantly GIR activated and looked at Dib, eyes glowing red instead of their usual cyan blue.

"GIR reporting for duty!" he said, saluting Dib. Dib stared dumbfounded at the robot and stuttered, "Uh… go wake Zim up, ok?"

"Yes sir!" GIR strode over to Zim and poked him, giggling. Zim stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at GIR and blinked.

"What are you doing GIR?" he questioned.

"Waaaake uuuuup!" he giggled before his eyes turned back to red. Zim looked quizzically at Dib.

"What did you do to GIR?"

"Er… fixed him?"

"Why?" Zim asked, amazed at his working robot. GIR saluted Zim and stood at attention. "How?"

"I took out a torn wire, and now he works I guess," Dib said. "Sometimes he's still insane though, I wonder why." Zim nodded and looked back at GIR.

"Awaiting instructions, master!" GIR said.

"Check to see if there's a way out of here."

"Yes master, I obey!" GIR saluted again and set to work, scanning the walls, ceiling and floor for any possible exits. "No escape routes can be found, master!" GIR reported.

"Oh, that makes me feel like we'll get out _real_ soon now," Gaz interjected from the corner. Dib rolled his eyes and looked for himself. He didn't see any exits either, so he sat down and thought.

"Get up _human_, we must escape from this ship!" Zim called. He was already up, looking to see exactly where in the ship they were, running on his spider legs. Dib jumped up and ran after Zim, and Gaz followed. As they ran though the ship, a strange noise made Dib stop.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, see for yourself stinkbeast," Zim snapped, running ahead. Dib ran towards the sound, calling back to Gaz.

"Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" They dashed to the back of the room. "Where now, Dib?" Gaz asked, coming up behind him. Dib looked around wildly, listening for the sound.

"RAAAAAAAARRRRR!"

"I think it's this way!" he yelled, running left. As he rounded another corner, he came to a cage. Inside was a yellow and black monster, thrashing around and trying to get out of the heavy chains that suspended it above the cage floor. It had a long thick tail, black stripes on its back, pale yellow blades on its back, legs, and tail, and a strange symbol on its left cheek.

"What is it?" Gaz asked.

"I have no idea," answered Dib, staring at it. The beast stopped thrashing and dropped its arms to its sides, panting with exhaustion. Its tail drooped to the floor and it relaxed its claws, no longer looking fierce, but now looking tired and defeated. It looked at them.

"Who are you?" it asked.

"We are humans, I am Dib and this is Gaz, my sister," Dib replied in wonder.

"I am Sayellan. I have heard of humans," he said.

"Nice meeting you. How'd you get in there?" Dib asked. Sayellan sighed and looked at his cage wall.

"I was created in a Niarzan laboratory. They were planning to create a soldier, a hybrid of themselves and a beast on their planet called a Ka-Chenn. Many disagreed, but most thought the idea was a good one. When I was created, they tested me on a battlefield against four Ka-Chenns. I destroyed them easily, but I refused to be used as only a weapon, a toy for their wars. They thought I was too strong, too smart. They put me in a cage… or tried to. I resisted, I fought them, but they knocked me out with their lasers and shoved me into a cage. I broke out that night and escaped their compound but they caught me again. That time they put chains on my legs and tail, but I was able to snap them and escape again. They hired bounty hunters and one brought me in a few days later, unconscious. Now I am suspended above the cage and my limbs are chained, so I am unable to escape or attack." Sayellan turned back to Dib and Gaz. "That's how I got here."

Suddenly there was a click and the cage door swung open. Gaz smiled, holding a key in one hand and a strange looking laser in the other.

"Too bad Erlon and Alura left this lying around," she laughed, cutting the chains with the laser's beam. Dib grinned at the look on Sayellan's face.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed as he dropped to his feet. "You've freed me!"

"Yeah, yeah, come on. We have to find Zim and get out of this ship," Gaz replied, pocketing the laser. "I think I'll keep this…"

"Good idea. I lost Zim's laser..." Dib sighed. He looked at Sayellan. "Any others like you on this ship?"

"No, but I do think there are others on the _Venture_. Many experiments are done there and I'm sure other hybrids have been created," he replied.

"_Venture?_ What's that?"

"The _Venture_ is the main Niarzan exploratory ship. It has the most advanced equipment for creating hybrids like me."

Suddenly the ship shook and they were thrown off their feet.

"What was that?"

"The ship has landed," Sayellan replied gravely. Dib stood and looked around.

"What're we going to do when Erlon and Alura come?"

"I have an idea. We could take them by surprise, they won't expect me to be out of my cage. Gaz, please go over there and be ready with that laser. Dib, you said there was someone else?"

"Yeah, Zim." Dib turned towards the dark interior and shouted "ZIM! We've landed, come on!" GIR flew over, eyes narrowed.

"Master says do not disturb him!"

"Tell master to get over here!" Dib said angrily. He ran to Sayellan. "Do you know of Irkens?"

"Yes. The Niarzan scientists spoke of them often."

"What do you want of me, _Dib_?" Zim spat, running over.

"We've landed on the Niarzan ship _Venture_."

"They're coming!" growled Sayellan. Zim slowly turned to him and stared.

"What is _that?_"

"That's Sayellan, a hybrid of Niarzans and... what were they again?"

"Ka-Chenns," he replied without turning.

"Yeah, those." Zim blinked and drew his laser. A door in the wall opened and Erlon stepped into the dark ship's hull. Zim immediately fired his laser and Sayellan leapt forwards, eyes glowing angrily.

"Thought you were rid of me when you put me in that cage, eh Erlon?" he snarled. Sayellan attacked him and knocked him to the floor, slashing and growling. Alura ran in and tried to pull Sayellan off Erlon, but Gaz fired the powerful laser and Alura was thrown into the wall. She stood slowly, claws over her chest where the beam had hit.

"Smart little human, yes. Grabbed the Cutter from where I left it, eh? Very smart, but I must take that from you." Alura revealed a small laser gun and aimed it, smiling maniacally.

"GAZ! Get away from there!" Sayellan yelled. "Run!" Gaz took his advice and dashed from her spot near the wall as Alura whispered...

"Fire!" Three blue and white beams twined together and shot from the laser. An explosion of blue light flashed were Gaz had stood a split-second ago. Sayellan grabbed a laser from Erlon's hand and fired at Alura, hoping to knock the gun out of her hand.

"Run, you three!" Dib grabbed Gaz's arm and pulled her out the door, ignoring her threats and protests. Zim followed and GIR flew after his master. As they got out of the ship, Sayellan jumped out after them and closed the door. "Seal the door!" he yelled. They melted the metal with the combined power of the lasers and the door was sealed shut.

"That was a Veral Bethan Ray. It's very painful and perhaps deadly to a human," Sayellan explained.

"Okay... what now?" Dib asked. He looked at his surroundings. They were in a dark room filled with Stinger models, some less advanced than the Stinger IV. Most were new Stinger V prototypes. Luckily there were no guards of any sort.

"Shall we rescue the other hybrids? I remember this place well. They are spread out a bit, but the nearest is in the Genetics Experiments 41 lab, over that way." Sayellan pointed in a western direction.

"Fine, we'll save your hybrids, but _I_ must get back to Earth so I can conquer it," Zim growled. GIR's eyes turned back to blue and he poked Zim.

"I wanna help!" he whined.

"Good. Follow me and be careful," Sayellan said. He walked carefully through the door.

Chapter Four—Stargazer 

Erlon flew the Stinger IV over the forest, tracking the fleeing group.

"Ha, we've got you now!" Erlon hissed, watching the glowing screen. He flexed his claws and glanced back at Alura. "What's the plan?"

"We catch the humans and torture the Irken, then turn the little robot thing into scrap metal," she replied, eyes shining maliciously.

"Lasers prepared," the Stinger computer announced in a monotone. "Power level?"

"Yes, default power at level one," replied Alura, typing at the backseat keyboard. Laser coding appeared on the screen in front of her.

LASER/Target='1': Human/type2.power1

LASER/Target='2': Human/type1.power1

LASER/Target='3': Robot/type4.power5

WATERCANNON/Target='4': Irken/type1.power2

Alura grinned and pressed "Set Controls".

"Power at 5 for a robot?" Erlon asked, wondering why they should waste power on a stupid robot.

"Yes, it survived my strike by simply deactivating itself," she replied, "We want a one-hit kill."

"Got it," Erlon hissed, aiming the lasers.

Dib ran though the forest, dodging rocks and stumps.

"Come on, I think I see shelter!" he yelled. Zim nodded and GIR laughed, thinking it was all a game.

"Oh, GREAT!" Gaz yelled as it began to rain. "Why did I even bother to come with you?" Zim whimpered and hid under a tree, hoping none of the raindrops would hit him. GIR flew over and smiled, opening his head.

"I brought glue!" he chirped.

"Good job, GIR!" Zim congratulated him and applied the shielding substance.

"Hey! Is that a cave? Hey guys, I see a cave!" Dib yelled. Zim smiled and stood up, oblivious to the rain now that he was shielded.

"Is that a kind of natural shelter?"

"Yeah, let's move it!" Gaz answered, glaring at the dark sky. "I'm getting soaked!"

Erlon watched as the lasers aimed automatically at the target Alura selected. He checked the power level and smiled as the screen flashed LASER READY. He squeezed the trigger button. A green ray of light lanced through the air at the purple haired girl.

"Gaz! Look out!" Dib yelled, but it was too late. The beam struck and knocked her out. Dib ran to her side, ignoring the warning cries from Zim.

Erlon clicked the trigger button once again as the lasers swung towards the human called Dib. Alura watched, silently laughing at the pitiful humans.

Dib turned and saw the beam speeding towards him, but he didn't have time to run before it struck. Now only Zim and GIR remained. Zim growled and drew his Irken laser, preparing to fire at the engines. GIR watched in the background, smiling at his master.

The beam fired again. Zim braced himself for a hit, but the shot passed over his head and zapped GIR behind him. The little robot fell, his rockets turning off as he deactivated again.

Zim aimed and fired repeatedly at the engines, but the big laser cannon blocked the shots. Suddenly, the cannon retracted into the belly of the ship. Zim smiled as he got a clear shot.

"Hurry, get the water cannon out!" Alura snickered. "He might dent our ship!" Erlon laughed and activated the water cannon, preparing it for a blast shot. The ship's hull opened and the water cannon slid out. Alura laughed maniacally as it aimed and the power levels rose, her plan working perfectly. The cannon shot, gallons of water projected at Zim.

Zim dived out of the way, wincing as some of the acidic liquid hit him. He rolled and stood again, glaring at the cockpit. He aimed and fired his Irken laser.

Erlon growled as the blast shattered the shield. He turned to Alura.

"Should we kill him? He's getting irritating…"

"No. Capture him, that's the plan." Erlon sighed and clicked the trigger.

Zim dived out of the cannon's blast again, firing as he ran. Erlon cried out as a shot hit his arm.

"That Irken! Such a troublemaker! Does he _want_ to die?" Erlon roared. He was about to click the laser trigger when Alura touched his arm.

"It's not the plan, nor a good idea to kill the Irken," she said softly. "We need to capture him."

"Fine. But if that Irken starts more trouble…" Erlon trailed off ominously and turned back to the screen. He typed in some coding.

DEL: Strength/Chargedel.now

ADD: Accuracy/Speedadd.now

"There," Erlon sighed. "That should help." He watched the cannon aim again. As the aiming sight centered on Zim, he clicked the trigger.

Zim screamed in pain as the blast of water hit him. It had fired faster than before and he hadn't had time to dodge it. Erlon cackled evilly and fired again, relishing his enemy's pain.

As Zim writhed on the ground, Erlon quickly switched to the laser cannon and shot a level 4 blast. Zim was knocked unconscious. Alura smiled cruelly and instructed the ship to land.

On the Niarzan Ship _Venture_

Akai sat on the bridge of the _Venture_, looking out of the viewport. He sighed, thinking of his parents on their mission. His sister Okai came up behind him.

"Are they back yet?" she asked, her voice soft and melodious.

"No Okai, they have not returned," Akai replied. Okai sat down next to him and slid her arm around his shoulder. Brother and sister sat together, wishing for their parent's return.

Dib groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head, it hurt badly. He glanced around the darkened area he was in and spotted Gaz leaning against the wall, playing her Gameslave2.

"You're ok!" he shouted happily. Gaz winced and put a hand to her forehead.

"Keep it down Dib, my head hurts." Dib was amazed; normally she'd threaten him.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, softer now.

"Yes, no thanks to you!" she growled before going back to her game. Dib sighed. _Now _he knew she was fine. He looked around and noticed Zim still unconscious against the opposite wall. "He's been out since I woke up," Gaz said, eyes still on her game. Dib sighed again and slumped against his wall. He knew it'd be a long ride before they got to wherever they were going.

During the ride to wherever, Dib busied himself with trying to repair GIR. He didn't know why he bothered, plus GIR was only a nuisance, but still…. He'd probably go insane with nothing to do anyways. As he examined the little robot's circuits, he noticed that the laser shot had jarred some wires loose… possibly making GIR better. Dib inspected these loose wires closely to see if they had any connection to GIR's personality. He fixed everything messed up (which wasn't much, the little guy had amazing resilience) and left out the wires in question, then tried to turn him on. GIR didn't activate, so Dib added one wire. GIR turned on and looked up at Dib.

"Hibifeviefby ivbcfivi wertif baciviyew?" The robot babbled. Dib smacked him upside the head to turn him off and added a few more wires, except for a suspicious torn one. Instantly GIR activated and looked at Dib, eyes glowing red instead of their usual cyan blue.

"GIR reporting for duty!" he said, saluting Dib. Dib stared dumbfounded at the robot and stuttered, "Uh… go wake Zim up, ok?"

"Yes sir!" GIR strode over to Zim and poked him, giggling. Zim stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at GIR and blinked.

"What are you doing GIR?" he questioned.

"Waaaake uuuuup!" he giggled before his eyes turned back to red. Zim looked quizzically at Dib.

"What did you do to GIR?"

"Er… fixed him?"

"Why?" Zim asked, amazed at his working robot. GIR saluted Zim and stood at attention. "How?"

"I took out a torn wire, and now he works I guess," Dib said. "Sometimes he's still insane though, I wonder why." Zim nodded and looked back at GIR.

"Awaiting instructions, master!" GIR said.

"Check to see if there's a way out of here."

"Yes master, I obey!" GIR saluted again and set to work, scanning the walls, ceiling and floor for any possible exits. "No escape routes can be found, master!" GIR reported.

"Oh, that makes me feel like we'll get out _real_ soon now," Gaz interjected from the corner. Dib rolled his eyes and looked for himself. He didn't see any exits either, so he sat down and thought.

"Get up _human_, we must escape from this ship!" Zim called. He was already up, looking to see exactly where in the ship they were, running on his spider legs. Dib jumped up and ran after Zim, and Gaz followed. As they ran though the ship, a strange noise made Dib stop.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, see for yourself stinkbeast," Zim snapped, running ahead. Dib ran towards the sound, calling back to Gaz.

"Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" They dashed to the back of the room. "Where now, Dib?" Gaz asked, coming up behind him. Dib looked around wildly, listening for the sound.

"RAAAAAAAARRRRR!"

"I think it's this way!" he yelled, running left. As he rounded another corner, he came to a cage. Inside was a yellow and black monster, thrashing around and trying to get out of the heavy chains that suspended it above the cage floor. It had a long thick tail, black stripes on its back, pale yellow blades on its back, legs, and tail, and a strange symbol on its left cheek.

"What is it?" Gaz asked.

"I have no idea," answered Dib, staring at it. The beast stopped thrashing and dropped its arms to its sides, panting with exhaustion. Its tail drooped to the floor and it relaxed its claws, no longer looking fierce, but now looking tired and defeated. It looked at them.

"Who are you?" it asked.

"We are humans, I am Dib and this is Gaz, my sister," Dib replied in wonder.

"I am Sayellan. I have heard of humans," he said.

"Nice meeting you. How'd you get in there?" Dib asked. Sayellan sighed and looked at his cage wall.

"I was created in a Niarzan laboratory. They were planning to create a soldier, a hybrid of themselves and a beast on their planet called a Ka-Chenn. Many disagreed, but most thought the idea was a good one. When I was created, they tested me on a battlefield against four Ka-Chenns. I destroyed them easily, but I refused to be used as only a weapon, a toy for their wars. They thought I was too strong, too smart. They put me in a cage… or tried to. I resisted, I fought them, but they knocked me out with their lasers and shoved me into a cage. I broke out that night and escaped their compound but they caught me again. That time they put chains on my legs and tail, but I was able to snap them and escape again. They hired bounty hunters and one brought me in a few days later, unconscious. Now I am suspended above the cage and my limbs are chained, so I am unable to escape or attack." Sayellan turned back to Dib and Gaz. "That's how I got here."

Suddenly there was a click and the cage door swung open. Gaz smiled, holding a key in one hand and a strange looking laser in the other.

"Too bad Erlon and Alura left this lying around," she laughed, cutting the chains with the laser's beam. Dib grinned at the look on Sayellan's face.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed as he dropped to his feet. "You've freed me!"

"Yeah, yeah, come on. We have to find Zim and get out of this ship," Gaz replied, pocketing the laser. "I think I'll keep this…"

"Good idea. I lost Zim's laser..." Dib sighed. He looked at Sayellan. "Any others like you on this ship?"

"No, but I do think there are others on the _Venture_. Many experiments are done there and I'm sure other hybrids have been created," he replied.

"_Venture?_ What's that?"

"The _Venture_ is the main Niarzan exploratory ship. It has the most advanced equipment for creating hybrids like me."

Suddenly the ship shook and they were thrown off their feet.

"What was that?"

"The ship has landed," Sayellan replied gravely. Dib stood and looked around.

"What're we going to do when Erlon and Alura come?"

"I have an idea. We could take them by surprise, they won't expect me to be out of my cage. Gaz, please go over there and be ready with that laser. Dib, you said there was someone else?"

"Yeah, Zim." Dib turned towards the dark interior and shouted "ZIM! We've landed, come on!" GIR flew over, eyes narrowed.

"Master says do not disturb him!"

"Tell master to get over here!" Dib said angrily. He ran to Sayellan. "Do you know of Irkens?"

"Yes. The Niarzan scientists spoke of them often."

"What do you want of me, _Dib_?" Zim spat, running over.

"We've landed on the Niarzan ship _Venture_."

"They're coming!" growled Sayellan. Zim slowly turned to him and stared.

"What is _that?_"

"That's Sayellan, a hybrid of Niarzans and... what were they again?"

"Ka-Chenns," he replied without turning.

"Yeah, those." Zim blinked and drew his laser. A door in the wall opened and Erlon stepped into the dark ship's hull. Zim immediately fired his laser and Sayellan leapt forwards, eyes glowing angrily.

"Thought you were rid of me when you put me in that cage, eh Erlon?" he snarled. Sayellan attacked him and knocked him to the floor, slashing and growling. Alura ran in and tried to pull Sayellan off Erlon, but Gaz fired the powerful laser and Alura was thrown into the wall. She stood slowly, claws over her chest where the beam had hit.

"Smart little human, yes. Grabbed the Cutter from where I left it, eh? Very smart, but I must take that from you." Alura revealed a small laser gun and aimed it, smiling maniacally.

"GAZ! Get away from there!" Sayellan yelled. "Run!" Gaz took his advice and dashed from her spot near the wall as Alura whispered...

"Fire!" Three blue and white beams twined together and shot from the laser. An explosion of blue light flashed were Gaz had stood a split-second ago. Sayellan grabbed a laser from Erlon's hand and fired at Alura, hoping to knock the gun out of her hand.

"Run, you three!" Dib grabbed Gaz's arm and pulled her out the door, ignoring her threats and protests. Zim followed and GIR flew after his master. As they got out of the ship, Sayellan jumped out after them and closed the door. "Seal the door!" he yelled. They melted the metal with the combined power of the lasers and the door was sealed shut.

"That was a Veral Bethan Ray. It's very painful and perhaps deadly to a human," Sayellan explained.

"Okay... what now?" Dib asked. He looked at his surroundings. They were in a dark room filled with Stinger models, some less advanced than the Stinger IV. Most were new Stinger V prototypes. Luckily there were no guards of any sort.

"Shall we rescue the other hybrids? I remember this place well. They are spread out a bit, but the nearest is in the Genetics Experiments 41 lab, over that way." Sayellan pointed in a western direction.

"Fine, we'll save your hybrids, but _I_ must get back to Earth so I can conquer it," Zim growled. GIR's eyes turned back to blue and he poked Zim.

"I wanna help!" he whined.

"Good. Follow me and be careful," Sayellan said. He walked carefully through the door.


	5. Warrior's Choice

Chapter Five—A Warrior's Choice

Sayellan ran through the hallway, followed by Dib, Zim, Gaz and GIR. He stopped near a large door. GENETICS EXPERIMENTS 41 was printed on the metal door in blue letters. Sayellan listened at the door, carefully keeping his blades and claws away from the metal to avoid making noise. He turned back to the group.

"There is no one in the lab." He placed a clawed hand on the entry pad. It detected the Niarzan DNA in him and the door slid open. Inside was a huge cage, containing a beast none of them had ever seen. His tail thrashed as he clawed at his chains, wings beating furiously. He latched his fangs onto the chains and gnawed at them, growling.

"Greetings my friend, we've come to help you," Sayellan said, striding up to the beast. He looked at him.

"And how will you accomplish that?" he asked, skeptical. Sayellan tapped the entry pad on the cage and the top opened. The creature flew out and smiled. "Thank you, friends. I am called Void, named by the scientist who created me. I am not a hybrid but a creation, a beast that never naturally walked the planet."

"A pleasure, Void. I am Sayellan, a hybrid, and these are my friends Dib, Gaz and Zim. GIR is the robot over there. We are planning to rescue the others here."

"I see. How will you do that, my human friends?" Dib looked at Void.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think if I get all the hybrids together they'll help get us back to Earth," he explained.

"I shall help," Void said simply. He pointed to the door and said, "There are two other hybrids in a nearby lab."

"Let's go already," Gaz muttered. They opened the door. Sayellan's eyes narrowed at the Niarzan there.

"I knew I heard something in the lab!" she exclaimed. She swiped at Sayellan, but Void swooped over and grabbed her. He threw her into the cage and reprogrammed the entry pad to only accept his DNA.

"They'll have a hard time getting that open!" he chuckled as he knocked the guard out. "Come on, the lab is in the eastern wing." They followed Void out the door.

The team sneaked around the ship, dodging guards and fighting when they had to. Eventually they came to the Eastern Wing and the Genetics Experiments 56 lab. Sayellan opened the door and stepped inside.

Zim was complaining.

"I shouldn't be here. It's all your fault, stinkbeast," he muttered at Dib.

A huge cage stood in the middle of the room. A gigantic, dragon-like monster spat fire and yanked at his chains. A giant metal collar was on his neck, marked with a strange symbol. A similar metal band was around his waist, and both were attached to the wall with strong chains.

"ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!" It thrashed it's thick tail and slammed the wall repeatedly.

"That's Vahdane," a voice behind them said. It was a hybrid like Sayellan, almost identical except for curved horns on his head. He was also in a cage, suspended above the floor from his chains. "I'm Zethkhan."

"Okay….. let's go, we can't free that beast! It's HUGE! How will we control it?" Dib asked, staring at it.

"Let me handle that," Zethkhan said. He looked at Vahdane and shouted, "Vahdane! Ftuomsd gico veno re ftoo ad! Vikn ny vihoniro, qo ito dicos!"

Vahdane stopped thrashing and looked at Zethkhan.

"Rtaky, ny vihoniro? Qgy qeaks I kurrko ganim gokp Vahdane ims Zethkhan ften rgo ozpotunomrd?" he asked.

"Rgoy ito ftuomsd ef Sayellan!" Vahdane nodded and looked at the group.

"Gokp ad, ims vo wauvl!" he hissed. Sayellan touched the entry pad on Vahdane's cage and released him. Vahdane spread his wings and flapped a few times.

"Rgo vgiumd, var rgo vgiumd!"

"He says to cut the chains," Zethkhan translated. Sayellan nodded and turned to Dib.

"I've been acting like a leader. I'm sorry, you deserve to lead us." Dib nodded and looked at Gaz.

"Cut the chains, Gaz!" Gaz aimed the laser and sliced through Vahdane's chains. Then she turned to Zethkhan and cut his chains.

"Open Zethkhan's door," Dib said. Sayellan pressed his claws into the entry pad and the door swung open. Zethkhan jumped nimbly out and smiled at Dib.

"Thank you, human. You have saved us from painful experiments."

"U rgiml yea id qokk, ganim," Vahdane said, smiling.

"He says thanks too." They strode out the door, Dib leading. They ran to the hangar again to see if they could steal a spaceship.

"Come on! We must hurry, a creature like Vahdane will be missed before long!"

"I know, I know!" They arrived at the hangar and stopped short. A pair of Niarzans stood before the Stinger IV where Erlon and Alura were trapped. They looked younger than Erlon and Alura, and their blades were smaller.

"What did you do to Hael and Sadir?" one said, trembling with anger.

"Hael and Sadir?" Dib asked.

"They mean Mother and Father," said Sayellan, staring at them.

"Mother and Father? Erlon and Alura are their _parents?!_"

"Apparently so…" The bigger one growled and stepped forwards.

"I am Akai, son of Alura and Erlon. I challenge you to a fight!" he said, looking scared but trying to sound brave.

"And I, Okai, shall help my brother defend our honor!" the small one stated, anger flaming in her eyes.

"Well." Sayellan smirked. "What should we do, Dib?" Dib looked at the two young Niarzans.

"Vahdane, fight them." Zim smiled.

"I agree, this once." Vahdane smirked and stepped forwards. He spread his wings and stretched his tail out behind him. He spoke softly (or as softly as a giant dragon beast can) to Zethkhan.

"U qudg re dpoil re Akai." Zethkhan nodded and turned to Dib.

"Vahdane requests to speak to the warrior Akai!"

"Permission granted I guess…" Vahdane leaned down and whispered something in Akai's ear. Akai paled and gulped. He looked nervously at his sister.

"Let the fight begin!" shouted Zethkhan. Akai immediately dodged a fire blast from Vahdane. He turned and whipped his tail around and slashed Vahdane with his blades. Okai circled Vahdane and swiped and him with her claws. Vahdane simply swished his tail behind him and knocked Okai into the ship. Akai growled and leapt onto Vahdane's tail. He climbed onto Vahdane's back and dug his claws into his enemy's back.

Vahdane roared and flapped his wings, hitting Akai repeatedly and throwing him off. Vahdane reached his clawed hand back and swiped Akai away. Akai slammed into the Stinger IV next to Okai. Both stood again and dropped to all fours, then began running. They circled Vahdane rapidly and reached out a claw when they got an opening. Vahdane swooped into the air and flapped hard. They braced themselves against the wind, and Vahdane took his chance and whipped them both with his tail. They were thrown into the hangar wall. Okai whimpered and stood, looking at Vahdane determinedly. Akai popped onto his feet and glared at him. Then they both began to run again, zipping in a complicated zigzag around Vahdane.

Akai leaped onto Vahdane's leg and bit down hard, digging his claws in to help him stay on. Okai jumped onto his other leg and sunk her fangs in as deep as she could. Both held on tight as Vahdane shook his legs, trying to dislodge them. They bit hard and released, then ran again, dodging fire blasts and biting Vahdane. Vahdane waited until they jumped onto his legs again, then whipped them repeatedly with his tail. Akai and Okai fell off, beaten.

Vahdane stepped towards them, preparing to finish them.

"Wait!" It was Sayellan. "Don't kill them. They shouldn't be responsible for what their parents did."

"Yod, var rgoy ito…" Vahdane trailed off, realizing that Sayellan was right. Akai looked up at Vahdane, ignoring his injuries.

"What did they do?"

Dib blinked. "You don't know what Erlon and Alura did?"

"No…" Okai said softly.

"Your parents trapped me and many others in cages after creating us, and they also took these humans…and Irken… from Earth against their will," Sayellan explained.

"They did?"

"Yes." Akai looked guiltily at them and turned to his sister.

"They're telling the truth, Okai."

"No. They can't be."

"They _are!_ Don't you remember when Hael and Sadir would leave and not tell us where they were going?"

"Yes…but-"

"Come on Okai, they're telling the truth and you know it." Okai sighed and looked at the group. Her eyes widened.

"Duck!" A laser shot passed over Dib's head. He whirled around and saw Alura standing behind him.

"Ha! We escaped the clever trap you got us into. Now, you shall die." She aimed the Veral Bethan Ray and fired.

"Look out!" Zethkhan dashed to Dib and shoved him out of the way. The blast hit him and he roared in pain, dropping to his knees. Gaz grabbed the Cutter laser and fired at Alura. Alura was thrown into the hangar wall.

"You insolent human child!" Alura hissed, standing as if nothing had happened. "You die first!" She fired the ray at Gaz.

Gaz leaped out of the way and fired again, missing Alura by inches. Alura fired the ray at Vahdane, who had been flying towards her. Vahdane dropped to the ground, silent but in pain.

Alura looked to Akai and Okai. "Come children. We shall fight these monsters together and win!" Okai glared at her.

"No. We won't help you hurt them."

"That's right. They spared our lives, because it was _you_ who committed the crimes!" Akai growled. He and Okai ran at Alura, preparing to slash at her.

Alura was taken by surprise and they were able to hurt her somewhat. She whipped her tail at them and caught Okai around her neck.

"Okai!" Akai yelled. Alura smiled cruelly and held the Veral Bethan ray to Okai's head.

"Come no closer," she warned. "I'll do it." Sayellan stopped in mid-step and waited for Dib to decide.

"Kill her!" whispered Zim in Dib's ear. "We can lose one life in return for ours!" Dib shook his head.

"They risked their lives for us, we have to repay them." Dib thought hard. "Alura! If you let Okai go and allow us to take your ship home to Earth, we'll let you live. If you refuse to release her, then… we'll have to kill you." Alura stopped smiling and began to notice the lasers they all held. She glared at them.

"Fine!" she spat. "I'll let her go." She unwrapped her tail from Okai's neck and shoved her forwards. "Go back to Earth."

Okai ran to her brother and looked back at the fuming Alura. Dib smiled and stepped into the Stinger IV, the hybrids and Niarzans following.

"DIB! You drank all the soda again, didn't you?!" Gaz yelled up the stairs.

"Um… no?"

"Go get more!"

"Okay, okay!" Dib ran down the stairs and past Gaz. He looked at Zim's house and smiled as he heard angry shouts from inside.

"GIR! Get back here!"

"But I wanna chase the piggy!" He had added the torn wire back in on the ride back to Earth. GIR was insane once again. Dib ran to the convenience store and bought a six-pack of soda. As he entered the garage, he called, "Hey guys! I've got soda!" Sayellan appeared and smiled at Dib. Akai and Okai bounded out from behind a stack of boxes, and Zethkhan dashed to Dib from behind some extra tires. Dib gave them all a can of soda each and headed into the house. Gaz looked at him.

"Where's my soda?" Dib tossed her one and ran up the stairs to his room, opening his own soda. He opened the window and listened to the shouts from Zim's house.

"Get away from that! _No_, don't touch it!!!" _Crash!_ "I said not to touch that!"

"But it's pretty!" _Crash!_

"GIR leave that alone!" _Crash!_ "You're destroying my base!"

"But it's fun!" _Crash!_

**The End**


End file.
